1. Technical Field
This application relates to managing and displaying static elements or fixtures in two-dimensional and three-dimensional digital maps.
2. Related Art
Vehicle navigation systems analyze location and motion data provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS), motion sensors such as automatic braking system (ABS) wheel sensors, and digital maps to determine the position and velocity of a vehicle. Navigation systems generate digital maps to represent cartographic features, such as streets, intersections, signs, street lights, buildings, landmarks, parks and rivers. The digital maps may also display points-of-interest such as gas stations, restaurants, landmarks, or other points-of-interest. The navigation system provides an indicator of the vehicle's actual position on the generated digital map. Some navigation systems display route information and maneuvers needed at intersections for reaching a destination on the digital map. As the vehicle changes position, either the vehicle position mark on the displayed image changes, or the digital map may be scrolled, while the vehicle position mark remains fixed at a predetermined position.
Navigation systems may execute algorithms for transforming data from a digital database into a three-dimensional perspective view. Due to the limited computer resources, however, three-dimensional representations of fixtures that may give a more realistic impression of the actual surrounding, such as the actual vegetation, may be relatively rough-textured and unclear. Therefore, a need exists for an efficient solution for the management, storage and display of synthetic representations of fixtures or elements that convey a realistic digital impression of the physical environment.